wfn.org | Palestinian Christian offers vision at UCC Synod

[powellb@ucc.org]

United Church of Christ
General Synod Newsroom
Sunday, July 13, 2003
newsroom@ucc.org
http://www.ucc.org

By Martin Bailey

Minneapolis?A prominent Palestinian Christian offered the United Church of
Christ a vision beyond justice and peace in the Holy Land during a Sunday
afternoon worship service in Minneapolis on July 13.

Naim Ateek, who himself became a refugee in 1948 when Israeli armies
overran his home town in the Galilee, said the road map should lead not
only to a Palestinian State but to reconciliation among Jews, Muslims and
Christians across the region and eventually to a confederation that
includes both Israel and Palestine.

The Anglican priest's address was interrupted by applause several times as
he told delegates and hundreds of local church members from across
Minnesota and nearby states that sound biblical preaching and teaching is
the only way to embrace justice. On a day when the Synod adopted a
resolution calling for alternatives to Christian Zionism, he pointed out
that some people try to "prove almost anything"?from polygamy to slavery to
silencing women?"by selecting their evidences and linking verses from here
and there." The authentic message of the Bible, he said, "is not about a
bigoted and biased God but about a loving and liberating God." He called
Christian Zionism "an elaborate system of beliefs that makes a jigsaw
puzzle of the Bible."

He said that "genuine peace in Israel and Palestine must be founded on
justice," but that for him justice is not the final objective. He and those
associated with him in the Sabeel Liberation Theology Center in Jerusalem
seek to bring Israelis and Palestinians into reconciliation. "It is a long
process, but it is essential for bringing healing and forgiveness."

Justice, however, is "the key to all that we aspire. Only justice produces
peace. Only justice leads to security. Only justice opens the way to
reconciliation."

Ateek was an appropriate choice to address the Synod on the theme "Embrace
Justice" because he has devoted a lifetime of scholarship and practical
work to achieving justice. His book "Justice and Only Justice" has become a
primer for those who are working for justice as the cornerstone for peace
in the Holy Land.

He began his keynote address with appreciation for the long support that
the United Church of Christ has given his work in Jerusalem. Two mission
workers have been assigned to the liberation theology center and the Wider
Ministries board presented him with an award "for such a time as this" in
1999 for his leadership of Sabeel.

The Jerusalem church leader asked the UCC to continue to help dispel myths
about the people from the Middle East. "People assume that all Arabs are
Muslims," he said, "when in reality there are 15 million Christians in the
Middle East, most of whom are Arabs."

People frequently ask me, "When were you converted, as if Jesus had been
born in Bethlehem, Penn., and Christianity were a Western religion."

"And very often the media and negative propaganda have painted all
Palestinians as terrorists which seek only the destruction of innocent and
peace-loving Israel." Ateek appealed to the UCC to "help shatter and
decimate those negative stereotypes; take time to learn more about our
people and their longing for justice and peace."

At the conclusion of his address, Ateek was greeted with a prolonged
standing ovation and a promise from General Minister and President John H.
Thomas that the UCC will continue its commitment to the search, prayers and
efforts for a just peace in Israel and Palestine.

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